


La Fortune du Café

by Kimmito



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, F/M, Guardian Marinette Dupain-Cheng, M/M, Miracle Team, New Family, new start
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:48:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25046392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kimmito/pseuds/Kimmito
Summary: Tim feels that he lost his place in the world.So he decides to start again... in Paris.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Cassandra Cain/Alix Kubdel, Chloé Bourgeois/Luka Couffaine, Marc Anciel/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Tim Drake/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 174
Kudos: 721





	1. Chapter 1

Timothy Drake always knew his place in the world, at least, he thought he knew. He was always the perfect representation of what was expected of him and he was happy to be… until he realized that this was not enough to have a true place in the world. Suddenly, he was cut off from what he considered his family and he's not sure if it was his fault or the natural course of things.

Dick returned to the mansion, Jason seems to be getting better (at least he doesn't seem to want to shoot Bruce every time he sees him anymore), Damian has taken his place as Robin, Stephanie returned and seems to light up everyone's life with his joy (everyone but he), Cass is not only a deadly weapon but also the sympathetic silence they need from time to time... Even Selina spends time at the mansion and seems more connected to the family than Tim.

The worst part is that no one other than Alfred seems to notice it. A month could go by without showing up at the mansion and no one would notice, not even Dick, who cared about him the most, but it seems that Damian not only stole Robin's title but also took his place in the family. And the more he thinks about it, the more obvious it's, it's not difficult to notice how everyone makes their lives around him, without included him.

Exit to the cinema? They don't tell Tim, but they drag Damian with them.

Family food? Alfred warns him and sits next to him while everyone seems to be unaware of his presence.

Patrol? Red Robin goes alone, despite Batman's insistence on going in pairs. They also didn't notice when Red Robin stopped patrolling.

Job? He's the only one who actively works for Wayne Enterprise. Bruce left him in charge of the company and doesn't even bother to check if he's doing well. He could take it as trust, but he can't longer consider it as such.

Travels? Oh, it seems they forgot. Not surprise there, he pass time with Alfred, at least, the butler has the heart to stay with him.

It seems that it's easy to ignore his presence, to do without Tim Drake, to forget that he also lives with them.

He sighs sadly as he checks his computer, he doesn't blame Damian, he doesn't blame his other siblings… he can't blame Bruce either, it's just not his place. He no longer belongs, that's no longer his home and he must accept it, no matter when it breaks his heart.

Maybe he never really belonged there, after all, he was the one who got into it. Bruce did not welcome him like the others, he came demanding a place... a place that was not meant to be for him.

One night while reviewing the last open case he has taken, he makes the decision that it will be the last. Close his investigation folder and he block everything related to life as a vigilante.

The next night, as he finishes reviewing a new project for Wayne Enterprise, he decides it will be the last thing he does for the company. Order everything and talk to Lucius to return the company to Bruce or leave it to Damian, whichever is easier to do in a short period of time. He's only in charge of closing deals so as not to deliver anything unfinished, it would not be proper for him to deliver a half-finished job.

And a week later, as he dines with the family and eats through the noise, he makes the decision that it will be the last time he eats with the Wayne family. Later that night, Alfred approaches him and they talk, the butler always knows everything that happens in the mansion. Tim is honest with the man he sees as a grandfather, he leaves his heart in his hands and says goodbye, giving him a big hug and saying a few last words that are addressed to the one who was his family.

"If anyone asks where I am, I left the country."

The next morning, Timothy Drake leaves Wayne Manor for an unknown destination.


	2. Chapter 2

Cassandra Cain is a very observant person, she understands the feelings and intentions of those around her, but she doesn't always know how to express what she thinks about it. She's a good observer and that's why she noticed when the family dynamics began to change little by little.

She did notice how the family, assuming Tim was always busy, was excluding him from some activities. They stopped asking, although Dick always seemed to remind them to tell him about family plans, soon, all was lost in the excitement of what they were doing.

She noticed Tim being more distant on patrol, but said nothing, she thought, perhaps too naively, that he was taking time to reorganize (perhaps her brothers thought the same thing).

She saw him build walls.

The first wall was the open cases, Tim's notes and his part of the investigation stopped appearing, in addition to blocking everything related to Red Robin, even the costume was blocked inside his showcase.

The second wall was the patrols. Tim stopped attending and spent more time at Wayne Enterprise, sleeping there an entire week.

The third wall was his resignation from Wayne Enterprise, he doubts that someone has still found out because everything seems to have been left for Damian to assume the position of CEO when he comes of age and, apparently, who manages everything is Lucius. For that he spent a whole week in the office, he leave everything was ready to go.

The last wall left them all out of his life.

Tim left the mansion and said goodbye to Alfred.

The saddest thing for her is that no one noticed for a long time.

And she sits with Alfred, in silence, while he seems to mourn the loss of a grandson, because they both know that the chances of Tim returning to the mansion are slim. Because when family members decide something, only a greater force is capable of making them change their minds.

A month after Tim's departure, Dick is on the verge of hysteria because he can't find his brother and that was the moment when everyone realized his absence.

And when Wayne Mansion falls into chaos, Cassandra drinks tea with Alfred as they watch the levels of collective hysteria they can reach.

She wonders if she could have done something to convince Tim not to leave, while looking at Dick being totally miserable for being a bad brother... she was too, she wants to tell him, but just looking at him.

Why can't family members communicate like normal people?

Dick also leaves the mansion, although he maintains contact. Angry at himself for not realizing what was happening to his brother.

And she follows suit, but leaves the country. Maybe one day she will meet Tim.

Ten years later, no one has been able to find Tim, as if the earth had swallowed him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here is the second chapter. The way I'm going to tell this story is from front to back, that is, from the moment Tim left the mansion and what happens in the fic, several years have passed.  
> So I'll be counting Tim's life in flashbacks as he continues his new life.
> 
> What do you think so far?


	3. Chapter 3

If someone, ten years ago, had told him that he would return to Gotham of his own free will, he would have laughed bitterly. One of his plans was not to return to the dark city that saw him born, grow, and then leave.

Make no mistake, Timothy Drake is excited to be back. But he doesn't feel prepared for the inevitable moment when his path crosses again with that of his old family, he never held a grudge against them, but he doesn't feel especially excited to meet them again, even though returning to Gotham feels right.

For a reason, when he met Conner in Tokyo and Bart in Istanbul, he asked them not to say anything about him to anyone.

Same situation when Diana located them in Moscow.

Also when Arthur (the fucking Atlantean King) visited them in Athens.

Even Green Lantern intercepted them in Boombay, that day he posted a ban notice to Hal Jordan at every branch of his business, although he didn't say anything either

Why wouldn't three members of the Justice League reveal anything about him to Batman? Easy, his pretty and adorable wife.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng, now Drake, is the Guardian of the Miraculous, jewels with small entities that could well be gods (or not) and on whom the balance of the universe depends. He helps, of course, but he's not half as competent as she is; His specialty is in another area and every time they intervene in some way with Tikki and Orikko, he's responsible for deleting any record that may (or may not) mention them.

Also, he's in charge of managing the two businesses.

The Fortune du Café.

It's a coffee shop, yes, but it has several branches around the world that they have been opening themselves in the cities they have visited in the last nine years since the defeat of Hawkmoth (or Shadowmoth, when the guy decided that it was more fun to combine prodigies instead of having an ally. Whatever, the butterfly man, Gabriel Agreste).

And MD-C.

A fashion store, they don't have any buildings, but each cafe is equipped to be a boutique too, so it's fun that they haven't attached both businesses yet (in the eyes of their friends, of course).

But returning to Gotham, they are opening a branch of their coffee shop in the city.

Why are they the ones who inaugurate each one? Simple, the first year all drinks carry potions to restore the balance of the cities, cure conditions caused by internal imbalance, generate defenses and protection against spirits.

They take their work very seriously, which is why they are so well known in the cities they visit (which is why Tim fears the inevitable moment he meets one of his brothers). They have also been accumulating a lot of money because their coffee shops are visited daily almost from the second day of the opening of each new branch (all because the first day is almost exclusively to taste the products and spend time with friends).

That leads to another matter, the friends he made in Paris will arrive at any time and whenever they are there, for some reason, it ends in a party. Not a casual gathering, no, a party with a bunch of strangers who decide to bring alcohol to a cafe (even though they have alcoholic beverages that mix with coffee). And they are in Gotham, Tim can only wait to see the disaster that will be.

The cafeteria is open, strategically placed near the commercial district (where all the businesses, and generally coffee drinkers are located), but far enough from Wayne Tower to avoid meeting them again for as long as possible (although he have no idea whether Damian has already taken over the company or if Bruce did something to change the arrangements he left).

"Tim, take Cole upstairs to change his clothes." Marinette touches his back to get his attention, he is standing at the counter looking at the door, he has been like this since the last visitor left.

"W…? "He questions, but as soon as he sees his son covered in mixture, he understands everything. It looks like he filled a tub with mix and threw himself inside, how did he accomplish such a feat?" Wow, you looks like you're ready to bake. "

"I'll be a bun!" Cole jumps, smearing the surroundings with the mixture.

"You will be, but first, we should give you a bath."

"I don't want…"

"I don't want to either, but we can't receive Suyen that way, right?" Cole denies when his father picks him up and carries him upstairs, but it wouldn't be like him if he doesn't make a mess of Tim's hair with the mixture in his hands. "Really?"

"Now you will bathe too!"He laughs happy and struggles less when he puts him in the tub and takes off his clothes, because his father must also do it.

Downstairs, Marinette receives Alix just then, holding a bottle of red wine in her hand. A big smile on her face and a look that screams danger.

"Kim says he will be here soon! He brings whiskey, I adore when you open a new cafe. "Alix laughs, she's not usually acting crazy, but after six years it has become a tradition that the opening of each La Fortune du Café becomes a crazy party with everyone drunk, she met her last ex-girlfriend at one of those parties, lasted six months with her (perhaps if she had learned Turkish with more enthusiasm they could have lasted longer). Sure, the past three years have been a little less crazy with Cole, Suyen, and now baby Yoshio, but only a little.

"We have alcohol, no need to bring more,." Marinette mentions while smiling a little, maybe Tim gets stressed every time he has to take his drunk friends back to their respective hotels, but she finds it a bit funny. She never thought that so many years would pass and they would still be as united, not with Lila hanging around. Nor did she think that he would open two businesses and that it would do so well in both, even managing to have a registered coffee brand with distribution permission for other coffee shops (the good thing is that said brand has a little spiritual healing position integrated, it is which gives it the characteristic flavor).

"There is never enough alcohol."

Marinette only sighs and invites her to sit wherever she wants while they wait for the others, the worrying thing is that it's ten in the morning and she knows that this will not stop them from drinking until the ethyl coma.

If only someone had warned her that Alix, of all her friends, would become her Nona, the same chaotic madness surrounds her.


	4. Chapter 4

Tim knew it. Their little opening meeting, again, turned into a party. Of course, by now he should be used to it and not feel so anxious, but now their are in Gotham and the city is not famous for being benevolent to souls in disgrace (in this case, him).

Oswald Cobblepot is in his coffe shop, he doesn't know what he's doing there and that just makes him more anxious. If the Penguin is there, it means that Batman will find out about his presence and suddenly have all the bats invading his premises and... he's becoming his wife.

"Budgie, relax!" Adrien approaches with a stunned, alcohol-induced smile. "Here, you need a shot of whiskey and tequila to get rid of that panicked expression. "

Tim receives the glass that almost spills completely on him, only showing that the blonde is so drunk that it's surprising that he's standing... and it's two in the afternoon. When Kim said these meetings were to lose inhibitions six years ago, he didn't take him seriously, not when he saw them on the brink of an ethyl coma, but now, knowing Adrien has two children and takes it as if he was still single, he's starting to take it seriously and consider that maybe opening another branch would be a bad idea.

He looks around, trying to avoid seeing the Penguin, and meets Kagami's gaze, seems to blame him for the disaster. Although the real fault lies with the chaotic trio (Alix, Kim and Adrien) who started the tradition, they are the unfortunate victims of their occurrences (which are highly supported by Trixx, Plagg and Xuppu).

He looks around, watching Alix gamble with Kim and a group of people as they scream excitedly as they watch one of them raise a three-liter bottle of vodka that someone must have brought, none of his friends, that's for sure, tends to remember the type of alcohol they like to carry and that includes whiskey, rum, wine, tequila, brandy and a selection of spirits. He can also see Max with a glass and three people as they share a tray of cupcakes, whatever they are talking about, they look very excited. Further away are Chloe and Luka, the only ones, besides him and Marinette, who are not drinking, although the blonde sadly watches the others drink. Even Felix is drinking from a glass of wine and he seems to be growling at girls who are getting too close to him.

The only ones not in sight are Nathaniel and Marc, but they sure have only had a few shots of tequila and stayed close to the children, anywhere far from the heart of the chaos.

"What do you care about?"Marinette hugs him from behind, managing to be heard through the music and screams of her guests.

"That we have a criminal in our coffe shop and it's impossible that Batman doesn't find out that he was here... I do not want the bats breaking into our new premises the first day we are here" Tim turns to hug her back, leaving the glass Adrien gave him on the counter. He won't drink, not with Cole there.

"It wont happen."

"The other option is for them to raid the apartment to find out what deals we have with him... I kick him out if that didn't mean starting a shooting."

"Tim, it won't happen. Adrien will take all the bad luck as he goes, Kagami is going to impale him for getting drunk. "Marinette caresses her husband's face, remembering the injured boy they met at school and who shared classes with them, despite being a year old older than them. He smiles and relaxes a little.

But his relaxation is short-lived when a drunk Adrien (already losing his balance) spills the glass of red wine on Oswald Cobbelpot of all people. Everything stops, even the music, many are even leaving the place.

"Oh, I..." Adrien can't even spin a coherent thought, he has even taken the effects of alcohol down a bit when he sees the murderous look the man gives him.

"Adrien, what the fuck?" Chloe exclaims, none of them is alien to the rogues of Gotham and the blond has just sentenced himself to death (if not for the man, it will be for his wife). She stands up, but Luka grabs her arm and denies.

"Congratulations, useless cousin. Just what we wanted, an enemy on our first day. ”Felix growls in disgust taking a drink of his glass of wine, taking advantage of the fact that the Penguin seems to be trying not to scream that they are all killed.

"Mr. Cobbelpot. ”Marinette, sweet Marinette, approaches the criminal chief with a cautious glance. "We will pay for your su..."

"You should be thankful they're not dead yet!" Marinette frowns and knowing that no one but them and the criminals are there, she gives her friends a small look in the background so they can do the favor of closing the blinds.

Chloe and Luka do it, knowing that it's better than anyone to see what will happen. The poor victims will believe that it was all a dream or the effects of some drug, but only because guardian magic tends to do funny things with people's memory to keep it secret, as long as don't know what it's, it will be anything.

Marinette murmurs a few words while smiling gently, receives a suspicious look, but before anyone can act in any way, a portal opens at the Penguin's feet, swallowing him next to his henchmen. Something peaceful, though perhaps you should put up a magic barrier to prevent assassination attempts.

"Well shit." Alix says when the portal has closed.

"Well, it looks like the party's over. We close, I want you all upstairs. ”Tim gives them a small glance before turning his back on them to head to the apartment above the cafe, a setup that is in all its branches.

Gotham always finds a way to embitter his existence, he hopes purification magic can help something.

They've only been in Gotham for two days and he already wants to leave.

Because this number definitely caught the attention of bats.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon I start classes and I had not felt like almost anything, I think the prospect of returning to virtual classes stresses me prematurely.
> 
> So there are three children. Who are your parents? I hope it has been implicit, at least.
> 
> So what did you think?


	5. Chapter 5

Cassandra Cain is the first to discover that Tim has returned to the city, she does so by investigating what Oswald Cobbeplot has been planning, followed him to an internationally renowned coffee shop, and when she investigated the owners, she saw it, Tim Drake and his wife, Marinette, who already have a three year old son. Doing a little more research, she also got a photo of the boy, Cole Drake, who has the same smile as his mother and the exact tone of Tim's eyes, as well as his black hair.

She was surprised that now she could find so much information about her missing brother, managing to find his career since the first café that opened nine years ago in Paris, including photos on various Instagram accounts and tweets where he's mentioned, along with various news about his projects in the cities he has been. Paris, Tokyo, Boombay, Istanbul, Athens, Moscow, Shanghai and Munich, almost one city per year.

Having all this information, she understands that it must have been Tim who was blocking all this for them and that it was not until they stopped searching for him tirelessly that he stopped blocking them, which makes sense if he didn't want to be found, but now he has returned and not he can be received with Batman paving his business for a visit by a rogue, which could have been just because of the party that was being held or to establish the rules that are played in the city.

So she can't tell Bruce, instead he contacts Alfred to tell Dick that he needs to go back to Gotham, that way she will have an ally to block Bruce and he won't jump straight to the scene and bother Tim in the process. What is most important, if they are going to get close to him, they must do well and not when all come together in different states of shock.

She wants the family to be able to reunite, yes, but the most important thing is that Tim feels that he can reconnect with them, that he can forgive them and that will only happen if they do things right.

It is the moment they have been waiting for, the opportunity to redeem themselves.

Dick returns to Gotham the next day, asking for a family emergency leave. Alfred only needed to tell him that Tim is there to make him throw everything out the window and run back to the city. He comes at the mansion under the excuse that he has not visited for ten months (which is true) and that he wants to take a short vacation to spend with the family (it's also true), so he settles in his room and reorganizes everything for his small stay (because he only got a week).

He meets Cassandra outside the mansion to be able to talk in detail about what they will do, then they just have to communicate the plan to Alfred and get everything going. Dick is dying to see his brother, but it is better to give him room to settle down.

Cassandra begins to review Marinette's social networks, because Tim's are private, and shows him the photos she has published. There is a small trajectory of images, she shows him the first one that was taken ten years ago: Tim is sitting at a desk with the girl next to him, below he says: _Tim joins the club of the marginalized_. Go to the next (all in the same publication), there are photos of the other desks with different boys who, from what it seems, were her brother's classmates at school.

She shows him another post, this time a year later. It's a group photo in a cafe: _La Fortune du Café_. Tim is hugging the same girl from the first picture, everyone is settled and look very excited.

Then it shows him a video, being the next publication. It lasts just a minute, but it is enough for him to almost cry for what he lost from his brother's life.

_"La Fortune du Café! "A blonde with intense blue eyes appears on screen, making what looks like an outdated presentation in the middle of several finely decorated tables, her hands are extended as if she showed the place behind her._

_"Say it right, Chlo! We try to promote the place, not scare away our clients. "A feminine laugh is heard off camera, several laughs follow her and soon the blonde is out of the way to leave an athletic boy with the ends of his blond hair that moves like if he were about to enter a battle in a boxing ring._

_"You won't regret it if they come! La Fortune du Café will make you... lucky!"Two male voices boo and shout at him: next, best TV show style. There are several laughs until someone else steps in._

_"What are you doing? "The camera moves and focuses on Tim wearing a ladybug-themed apron and the phrase: Lucky Charm, written in gold in fine calligraphy, has flour on his nose and has his hair held up with hooks to prevent it from falling on his face. A funny smile is the most remarkable thing._

_"Nothing! "Everyone involved exclaims in chorus._

The video ends there, Dick smiles, he glad that Tim got good friends. Cassandra moves on to another post, this time it's just Tim asleep in a bed under a dark pink sheet, his messy hair standing out on the pastel pink pillow, just below the photo the message: _He sleeps so much in my bed that I'll ask him to move with me_. And two outstanding responses, the first: _Mari, dear, you live together_ , and the second: _I know, I was saying so that he move into my room;)._

And they continue like this for a time, recalling ten years of memories in which they weren't present. He stopped in on the photo of im with Marinette at their wedding, two years after the opening of their first coffee shop. Dick can tell that that sparkle in his brother's eyes he never had when he lived with them, he knows Tim was not truly happy until he left Gotham.

When they finish reviewing everything they can, he feels calm and more determined that Tim is not abruptly bothered by any of them, although he only wants to go there and hug him while he cries.

They are two brothers with a plan and a bat to distract, agreeing that he would be the first to approach a couple of days before he must return to Blüdhaven, so he will look casual and will not overwhelm him with his presence, but if he want See It More Often, Dick is willing to travel every weekend for that.


	6. Chapter 6

Tim spent the last four days in fear that he would wake up one day and meet Batman in his kitchen, of course he's aware that his fear is very irrational after Bruce didn't appear anywhere the day after the event. Still, if there was one thing he learned from living nine years with Marinette, it was that he must follow his instincts and they told him to be alert.

He turns in bed and hugs Marinette, who is still sleeping despite the fact that the first alarm went off five minutes ago. It's three forty-five minutes in the morning, they must get up early to prepare the desserts that are served and the special coffee mixes, in addition to doing a morning cleaning of the premises. Today is one of those days where she would like to stay in bed much longer than she should, but they cannot neglect the premises, they have a city to heal.

He places a kiss on his wife's ear before releasing her again to then get out of bed, the damp morning cold hits him causing him to shiver, but that doesn't stop him, if he goes back to bed he won't get up and they'll fall behind with the preparations. He has very well calculated the time it should take in relation to the distance between the alarms so that while she is her normal morning mess, he can prepare breakfast and they will both sit down to eat before starting work. It's been that way for seven years, when they finally found a method that worked for them (though it faltered a bit during pregnancy and Cole's first year with crazed sleep schedules).

When he comes out of the bathroom, Marinette is sitting on the bed with her eyes closed leaning forward, he smiles and approaches her to wake her up better.

"Good morning, bluebell." Tim sits next to her and hugs her, she shudders at the temperature difference, but gladly accepts the contact and kisses him on the jaw.

"You smell good." She smiles and pouts when he walks away, but smiles again as her eyes sweep over him. "You look very good too. ”That makes Tim smile with a small blush.

"No more than you."

"I'm a mess and you, my love, a god who came down from Olympus." Tim smiles more and nods, looking loser in the little dialogue. Such a thing was not expected so early.

"Go shower." She laughs as she gets out of bed and heads to the bathroom, she loves her mornings, she's always a nice way to wake up and encourages her to attend to all kinds of people who come to the cafeteria. .

The cafeteria opens at six o'clock, a suitable time for the start of office work, so it has been going well, since its main objective is to clean the city, to earn money they already have eight stores around the world, they generate a good amount of monthly income, so they are more concerned with distributing to those who can, although they have not yet been able to agree to do it in the bad parts of the city, where it is most needed.

Tim moderately enjoys working in the cafeteria, has known a considerable number of people throughout those ten years, has known multiple stories and has been an important part of several of them, from marriage proposals to birthdays or anniversaries, many people have chosen La Fortune du Café for those events and he can't say he haven't appreciated being able to witness them.


	7. Chapter 7

Richard Grayson has a long list of failures he regrets, from moments when he has failed as a vigilante as others have failed as an older brother. After Jason, he tried not to leave out any of his siblings, but while he concentrated on making Damian feel like he was integrated into the family, he inadvertently helped Tim's exclusion.

He should have realized, to be more observant. He's a detective, he should have noticed, but he didn't. And he lost a brother again, but now there was nothing to bring him back... not until ten years later. Ten years wasted.

When he got the call from Alfred giving him the news that Tim is in Gotham and that they need to keep Bruce away as long as possible to prevent him from running away, he doesn't hesitate to drop everything and head for the city. He had not visited for ten months, making the time intervals between visits longer each year, but at last he has a good reason, at last he has some weight to ignore the constant fights with Bruce and the fact that Jason antagonizes him in every step of his decision to walk away.

He loves all his siblings, but it's hard not to admit that he did have a closer relationship with Tim. He was the first of his brothers with whom he fulfilled this role, they became good friends and being part of the cause of his pain, he couldn't bear it, not with the growing arguments between all because nobody wanted to accept the blame (and Damian only got worse all with his apparent joy at Tim's departure.)

Tim married a girl he met in Paris, he formed a group of very solid friends who have been together for ten years. He could see him without the permanent dark circles he always had in the mansion, smile openly and be a normal person, far from the life of a vigilante. And now he has a three-year-old son, he won everyone! He has an adorable nephew with black hair and blue eyes, it's impossible that he doesn't have those characteristics when his two parents share them.

The three days following his arrival he spends with his other brothers, doing what, for them, got to do in Gotham. He even hosts a mandatory family dinner where Bruce is brought out of the cave to join them to eat. And as he watch the whole family reunited, he can see that most have made a deal with Tim's absence, though the oldest of them all continues to regret it.

He's surprised to see a new face, ten months have changed the family a lot and this new brother marks the end of the era of black hair and blue eyes that distinguished the adoptions of Bruce, Duke Thomas, seventeen years old, is a somewhat Shy (it seems like it only takes two weeks), but he can see that there is a fire burning deep in his brown eyes. He knows that when he gets used to his new life he will argue with Jason or Stephanie with the naturalness with which they have been there for years, is not part of the Wayne family if do not participate in some stupid discussion at least once a week.

Dick is tormented on the phone with the most random topics he could imagine, even when he lived there they were not so creative to discuss. The last time they called him they were discussing the Emu War, with Damian as the maximum defender of the winning side of that war... he didn't even understand what generated the debate (although it seemed like a verbal battle where he even heard a contribution from Alfred. How they convinced him?).

He has a good time that night and the next morning, as agreed with Cassandra, he heads towards La Fortune du Café being as casual as possible, even deciding that it's best to go at an early hour. He even stayed up a little late for more realism (he also helped Bruce with a case by giving information he had from the Blüdhaven police).

When he enters the coffe shop, the first thing he notices is Tim leaning against the counter with a little boy who is drawing. He stops to appreciate the view in front of him, he can notice a small smile on his brother and he sees absolutely the similarity between the two.

With him in front, he realizes that he was not ready to see him.

Just then Tim looks up, the smile disappears and is replaced by surprise.

"Dick..."


	8. Chapter 8

Damian Wayne knew this from the start, ever since Tim Drake passed his passport at Gotham airport. Just as he realized that his father was not going to recover for having failed one of his sons so badly, so, he decided that he would be thorough in everything related to Drake.

Surprise that in ten years he has found nothing and that when he returns to Gotham, as if by magic, all the information from the last ten years is so visible to the point of being insulting. As soon as the passport was registered within the United States, the alert went off and threw out all the results, from photos on different Instagram accounts to news articles and magazines. His computer was about to crash with the amount of information he suddenly received. Typical of Drake.

He hides everything so that no proof of his existence leaks to his father, but he can't stop Cassandra from investigating and subsequently Grayson arrives with apparent intentions of spending time with the family (he didn't even know about Thomas). He didn't believe his sad attempt at justification at all, it was obvious that he came for Drake.

Now he follows him discreetly around town walking Milo, a Golden Retriever he adopted a year ago, the only dog his brother is unfamiliar with. Although Grayson is too nervous to notice it, but it’s not wrong to be too cautious.

He stops twice when he sees him doubt twice, Damian is upset to see Grayson doubt so much. He seems really nervous about facing his deserter brother. Ridiculous. Why does he want to bother someone who did not want to be found for ten years? What does he think could have changed in those years?

Damian sees Grayson enter the cafeteria and decides to wait outside, at least, until he sees him stand still as a jerk, despite Drake having already seen him and also becoming a statue. He's willing to go in there just to hit them both, but his motives for following him were to verify that afterwards it doesn't occur to them to go after Bruce, his father already has a lot on his plate to be overwhelmed with the arrival of the deserter.

"Hi, you" A female voice brings her out of her stupor and averts her gaze from the cafeteria. As soon as he turns to her, he recognizes her, she's Drake's wife. "You are Damian, right?" He frowns at her in disgust, why does she seem to know everything about him? Her gaze is too knowing.

"So what?"

"Come on." She takes him by the elbow and, with more force than she appears, begins to pull him around the main entrance to the cafeteria to direct him to a side entrance. They climb a flight of stairs, Milo ahead of them very excited about the new environment. "Welcome to our little home."

Damian almost mocks, It's not small. The external appearance of the place is certainly misleading, the apartment is quite extensive and with a very modern decoration… and above all it's very cozy, despite the cold colors of the room.

"Cole, I'm back."

A small child runs out of one of the rooms, followed by two small creatures that immediately hide on the toddler's back. Although he saw them perfectly, of course Drake would go and find something unusual to live with him. The boy looks at him with his big blue eyes, analyzing him in much the same way that Drake would sometimes look at him when he first arrived at the mansion.

"Mom, who's he?" She takes one look at him and smiles at him cryptically. He doesn't like it, but he doesn't find himself angry with her either, as if there's something stopping him. She has a kind of aura that generates comfort and that makes him uncomfortable, to add irony to the matter.

"He’s your uncle Damian, one of dad's brothers." The boy seems to get excited when he hears those words and runs towards him, sees him stumble and crash against his legs, holding on tight to his dark pants.

"Hiiiii! My nam is Cole! "Damian just grimaces, he doesn't know what to do. What is he supposed to do against the embodiment of childhood innocence?" Dad talked about you once. "He feels something strange as the boy talks so excitedly about him, what the hell did Drake say that doesn't make the boy or his wife cautious around him? "Don't you feel bad in your family anymore?" He’s also surprised at the child's good diction.

Damian looks at the woman, who has left the room, disappearing along with Milo, surely followed her to explore. What should he do?

"I… "

"Still? You should give them cakes! Look look! "The boy starts pulling on his pants to make him walk and follow him, Damian follows him with a little doubt." La Fortune du Café's world-famous cakes soothe people's hearts! Mom makes them with a lot of love"

When they reach the kitchen, he sees Drake's wife again and, as how he thought, Milo is at her feet looking at her as if waiting for something. Again one of those little creatures, but it's lost from sight. What are they? What about Drake's family? They are so warm.

"Can I... eat one?" "Damian curses himself for being so uncomfortable with the boy, he's just a boy. Was this how his father felt around him when he arrived? That would explain a LOT.

"YES! Mom, Uncle Dami is going to eat one of our cakes! "

"How about you go downstairs and select the ones you think Damian and his family will like?" The boy nods excitedly and runs out of the kitchen. "So? Was it what you expected?"

"No." He admits and frowns. He reviewed everything he found about Drake, but nothing prepared him for the reality that would be relating to his brother's family.

"Tea?"He just nods and she invites him to sit on the chairs at the small table, enough for a small family. "Can I ask you a favor?" She questions as she places two cups on the table, he takes one while looking at her curiously, but she says nothing, waiting for him to answer.

"What kind of favor?"

"Can you help that the inevitable reunion between you is not a problem for either side?" Damian stops to drink the tea to look at her, she looks very serious while speaking and he can't help thinking that she can understand him. "Since you were following Richard Grayson, you clearly wanted to avoid any inconvenience that arose. "

"If you feel there will be a problem, why come here?"

"Tim still has open wounds to heal and they won't close until he meets you again. And I know you have some, too, even if you can't see where your own wounds are. ”She smiles knowingly and he hides his face behind the cup as he drinks. It just felt like Alfred lectures her on her feelings. "Are you staying for lunch?"

Damian cannot find himself to refuse. How did he end up in that situation? He was just spying Grayson.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have several new ideas and when I finish uploading La Fortune du Café, maybe I'll bring you one of those.
> 
> If you could choose, just for the couple, which one would you choose?
> 
> I have two Timinette, a Daminette and a strange couple.
> 
> Thanks for reading and commenting, I'm very happy reading you.


	9. Chapter 9

“Dick…”

Tim doesn't know what to feel when he sees Richard standing halfway to the counter, the first thing he does is send Cole upstairs, hoping Marinette has already returned, and he stares at him. He certainly has no idea what to do either.

When he hears the upstairs door close, he reacts again. It was inevitable, but he had a vague hope that it wouldn't happen. At least it's Dick, his least annoying brother. What do Jason and Damian matter? Or his sisters? Or that new brother? Dick was the one who welcomed him with open arms, it was he who integrated him into the Wayne family as best he could, and it was he who became his first friend, because before Batman, he had no one but the books and his camera.

He wants to yell at him, cry and yell at him while he cries. Ten years ago, he just took his things and left, partially numb at his realization for being a stranger to what he considered his family. Excluded from the family nucleus, left out as if he didn't matter.

"Tim... I..."

"Why? "Tim takes the floor, cutting off anything his brother was going to say. Is ten years too long to ask what always haunted him when he left the Wayne? Why did they let him go? Why did they leave he out? Why? Why? Why?!

"We assume you were always busy..." Dick looks really hurt to admit it, is something that was following him in dreams, he leaving Tim aside. Making excuses for the work that the teenager was doing in Wayne Enterprise, they neglected him, they let him run twenty-four hours without sleep and living on coffee, he's sure that his brother ate alone because Alfred never neglected any of them, but he did not it was enough. "I'm sorry."

"Will you say just that?"

"I was a bad big brother, I should have kept insisting or spending time alone with you. Sorry Timmy, we were horrible and we left you out."

Dick walks over to his brother and crosses the counter to hug him, Tim doesn't return him, but he doesn't push him away either. It feels so strange to be around him again, to receive any kind of affection from someone other than his wife or son.

He also realizes that he missed him, of all his brothers, Dick always crossed his mind, like Alfred. The only two people with whom he came to feel that he truly had a family connection, because what hurt him most was being sidelined by Dick. Now he feels it clearly, much stronger than at the impression of seeing him again.

He felt abandoned by whoever he thought would not abandon him, by the person in whom he placed all his trust, whom he admired the most and is that he came to admire Dick even more than Batman. It was his example to follow, what he clung to when he saw his morals falter. The disappointment that hit him was huge.

"I won't ask you to forgive me, little bird, I don't deserve it. Nor will I ask you to try to regain our friendship, no… I failed you and you have every right to want to keep me out of your life. "Tim feels Dick sob against his shoulder, he feels the tears wet his white shirt and he wants to return the hug just to offer him comfort. Hearing him shed tears of guilt twists his heart, but that doesn't erase the feeling of betrayal that persists.

He's silent, thinking, analyzing if he really wants Dick back in his life, if he can see him fitting in with him... and it's painfully obvious that yes, he can see him getting along with Cole, finding a common ground with Marinette and seeing them swing together in high places.

Richard, despite everything, still means a lot to him and he does want him in his life. About the rest of the Wayne family, he's not sure.

He doesn't even want to think about Bruce or Jason, because even though Damian tried to kill him... multiple times... it wasn't just his failure, it was his upbringing in the league and it wasn't going to magically change overnight. The one who failed him was Bruce because he never properly protected him and took Robin's cloak away from him to give to his murderous son with a dubious moral code. And Jason was just a jerk even when the effects of the Lazarus Pits were less influential, he still treated him badly and even his assassination attempt was more alarming because he was in his right mind and he did it out of sheer displeasure… Bruce didn't do much either, if he think about it. Why did he admire him so much?

"Dick..." Tim pushes his brother away, wants to look him in the eye when he says the following words. "I'll close the coffe shop and we'll go upstairs, I'll introduce you to my family. "

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"So…?" Dick's gaze lights up and not just from tears, he looks less hurt than before, just a little.

"Yes, Dick, I want you in my life. Ten years has been a long time, hasn't it? "Tim tries his best to smile, though he's more of a grimace.

Cole appears with one of the boxes of cakes and sees him wanting to take out some redneck.

"Cole?"

"Yes Dad?" The boy asks innocently, pretending he didn't have a box for large orders. How many cakes do he want to put in there? Ten?

"You can't get desserts out with your bare hands, what's the box so big for?" Dick seems ecstatic seeing the boy make the same grimaces of Tim when he doesn't know what to say, yes, the same ones that he did when he just arrived at the mansion and was nervous at the sudden changes.

"Sorry, I was excited. Mom asked me to pick up some cakes for our guest! "Cole runs back to the kitchen and comes back quickly with a plastic glove to grab the baked treats, trying to shove one of each.

"Guest? "Tim questions with much curiosity and strangeness, how fast did Marinette make a friend in Gotham? She only goes out a few minutes a day, how does she do it? He's not bad at socializing, but his guidance is very professional, he can make partners quickly, but making friends costs him.

"Yes! "Cole doesn't say anything else, which only arouses much more curiosity.

"Cole." The boy looks at him after putting a whole muffin in the box, what the heck? Those are usually put separately, his child doesn't seem to mind the order because later she introduces a caramel croissant followed by a tart. His son is putting in his favorite cakes, he begins to doubt that Marinette told him to bring them. "I want to introduce you to someone."

"Who?"

"Your uncle Richard." That captures the boy's full attention, looking away from his father to sit on the man next to him. His eyes seem to get bigger when he realizes his presence, a big smile appears on his face and he can't help but let out a small excited squeal, almost dropping the box.

"Hiiiii! Uncle Richi must eat cakes too! "Cole takes out a tartlet and offers it to his uncle. Now he has met two of his dad's brothers! He only spoke to them about them once and Richard was the one who spoke best with Grandfather Alfred, he didn't know why they could not visit them, but it doesn't matter. They are there!

Dick takes the tartlet with equal excitement.

"Aww you are adorable! You look a lot like Timmy."

"I'll close."

Tim walks away and watches them, watching them interact for a moment. Then he closes as he said, just like the hours before lunch are usually much quieter, which is good, it allows them to eat before people approach lunchtime.

Now only Marinette needs to know his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought that I was not going to be able to bring this chapter today, which happens almost in parallel with the previous one. I don't know if I managed to reflect people's feelings: / but here it's.
> 
> What do you think?


	10. Chapter 10

Nothing prepared Tim for what happened when he got to the apartment, knowing there was a guest but that wasn't much information, so he just hoped it was a random Gotham person. No one of his brothers! Much less that was Damian.

Damian is casually sitting on one of his sofas while Marinette shows him one of the family albums is not an image he ever thought to see. He feels something twisting in his stomach, of all his other brothers, why Damian? Not that he liked Jason better, but Damian was the last person he thought would be interested in him or anything related to him.

"D-Damian?" He can't help but sound shocked, he immediately get the young man's gaze. Although his expressions still look like when he was ten years old, he can notice that he's no longer as severe nor does he seem to hate everything around him as in the past.

"Yes, Drake?" Ah, there was the hope. It's Damian, only more civilized... or is it the Marinette effect, since he met her seems to make the most difficult people warm up around her (Kagami, Chloe, Felix... And Felix, does he need to say it again?).

"What are you doing here?"

"What do you think I'm doing here? I'm looking at your family photos, Drake, why did you come back? You were much better off without us. ”Tim doesn't know what to answer to that, so he looks at Marinette, who maintains a calm expression. She always seems to know when something is necessary, even if it bumps into everything in her path.

He feels really suffocated suddenly, having two of his brothers is more than he can digest. Marinette gets up and approaches him to hug him, it comforts him to have her close.

"Oh, baby bird. When you came?" Dick tries to make what happens as smooth as possible, Tim is affected enough by the presence of the young man to take the course of the conversation. And with everyone trapped like that, he will be the responsible older brother he should always have been to Tim.

"I was dragged here by Drake's wife, she found me outside..." He wasn't planning to admit it, but he struck a deal with Marinette. He will be honest and she will help prevent Bruce from actively looking at the cafeteria using magic, while he prevents him from finding out by other means. Tim must choose the moment when he faces his adoptive father. A way to reward his brother for assassination attempts and prevent his father from ruining everything without giving them a chance to fix it (not that he thinks Bruce will do it consciously, but he can't know how he will react).

"And what were you doing there?" Dick questions raising an eyebrow, barely registering the look Marinette gives him, between curious and amused. "Oh, hi. ”He smiles embarrassed, completely forgot what he got on.

"Nice to meet you, Richard." She greets without leaving Tim, who just wants to shut himself up in his room and grumble about what is happening. The only thing missing is that Bruce enters through a window and faces him for leaving, that he gets angry with him... perhaps he wants it to be so that all his anger is justified in some way. One part of him wanted that to be the case to have another reason to get away from them, to get angry more... But it's not like that, even Damian, the boy who put a target on his back for having everything he wanted, doesn't seem angry with him (yet when his return could mean that his heir position would be hanging by a thread again).

“Drake, didn't you added new recipes recently?” Damian asks looking at the cakes Cole has left on his legs before running off to another room, leaving the adults alone.

"Uh yeah."

-"Where are they? "He grabs a cookie before Dick comes over and grabs a cupcake too.

"Today we don't prepare any. "Marinette is the one who responds by releasing her husband to she take the box from the young man's legs, the cakes inside are scrambled, since the croissant has been covered in the jelly of the tartlet.

Damian makes a sound in recognition before eating the cookie in one bite, his expression doesn't reflect how much he liked it, he will not give that satisfaction to his brother. He's surprised that he, a technology expert and a great strategist, has decided to dedicate himself to it... although with the addiction he had for coffee when he lived with them, it should not be so surprising either.

Dick's thoughts aren't far behind, but his are more focused on how much everything fits into his little brother. Not needing to see Tim be affectionate with Marinette to notice how their relationship works; his brother was totally disheartened to see Damian and with a single touch of her he noticeably relaxed, at least he no longer seems on the verge of collapse. Still, he looks concerned, Tim's gaze remains the same when he's afraid of something.

"Tt. We will not tell father. ”Damian assures, taking the photo album again, looking at the group photo of Tim with the friends he made in Paris at a restaurant, Cole is already among the group, being a little boy of one year, in addition to another baby in the arms of the Asian girl. He can tell that most of them got together as a couple in some way, he really didn't pay attention to his brother's friends. When he turns the page, he finds a children's drawing very similar to the creatures that he's sure he didn't hallucinate to see, it's even red like the one that was hidden in the kitchen.

"No? "Tim questions shocked, sure, he didn't expect Damian to run to Bruce to tell him something, but as unpredictable as he is, he expected him to do something about it, does that mean Bruce isn't mad at him?

"No. Think about it, it would just be a disaster. Father is a threat to your stay here. ”Marinette may have entrusted him with additional information, but he's not saying any of that and if it comes from Drake, he has been obsessively evaluated from all possible angles. Tim Drake is not characterized by making plans on the march, he's talking about the same man who managed to create the perfect setting for the death of another person _without actively getting involved in the situation_ , detained solely by his moral values. If he didn't have his own code, even Batman wouldn't have stopped him.

The same reasons why he still has _contempt for him_ are the same reasons that, with the years of absence, he came to _respect him_. As much as he hates to admit it, he came to understand that his moral code and way of seeing the world is more similar to Drake's than to his father's. When he got it he almost laughed, it was a bitter slap in the face at seventeen (just because they were about to go out on patrol he kept his expression blank but sometimes he can still hear his father's reproach. He also doesn't like it admitting it pained him to be compared in such a negative way, but his father didn't want to hurt him, he was just stupid for not knowing what to do with his feelings.)

"Do you want me to be here?"

"I'm indifferent, but it's not my intention that this becomes a huge problem. I'd rather have you on my side, Drake."

"Thank you? "Tim considers the possibility of dreaming, yes, Damian is not the same ten-year-old boy who tried to kill him, but it still seems unreal to him.

"Anytime." Marinette laughs at the interaction, is totally jarring and clearly the two are in internal conflict with each other, but it's going better than she expected. She knew a lot about Damian, Tim didn't hesitate to tell her about his life before Paris and give her not only everything that was, but what he wanted to be.

Tim doesn't hate his family, nor does he hold a grudge against them. He just left accepting that there was no place for him. Tim was very hurt, he was more a puppy that his family abandoned one day. It was confusing and when the realization hit him, he made the decision he deemed correct. He sat down to plan and put everything in order, got ready, took his things and left. Now he needs to heal, face the ghost that haunts him.

He needs to reunite with his family and decide if he wants to be there or not.


	11. Chapter 11

After the visit of his two brothers, Richard made it clear that he would be visiting every weekend if he allowed it. Tim accepted, as well as Monday dinners with Damian (to which they were pushed by Marinette's insistent gaze). She's not going to let them run away from this, she knows that her husband needs to reconnect with his family to make a better decision regarding them, because not all of them are Richard Grayson (that is, his favorite brother).

The following days are quiet, Dick visits the last days when he will be in Gotham and ends up taking a batch of desserts with a big smile because she prepared them especially for him, in her best wishes for taking care of himself. Marinette is aware that he's still a vigilante, therefore, she will do her best to protect him in the best way she can and if she puts a little more luck and the occasional potion of protection in the recipes, well, it is not that they they should know.

She knows how paranoid they can be, Tim showed it a lot when they met, even a time later (and sometimes he still acts like that, he has around eight contingency plans for the two main contingency plans).

_"So you want to add potions to recipes?" He looks at the small cauldron in the middle of their apartment, the bright lilac color gives him a suspicious feeling. They have just started outlining the plans for the coffe shop and are deciding on the main menu, they had talked about what was served should be special, but seeing the concoctions and spells working, he feels restless._

_"Yeah, in Paris there are still traces of corrupt magic in people, the victims of Hawkmoth continue to be harassed for their presence. His will was too strong and still influences their negative emotions… it was too long, we need to reverse it. ”She's very confident with her words, pouring a little of the concoction into a small jar. "The flavors will not be affected by the potions, although if placed too much there could be a slight variation in the color."_

_"It is safe? Will there be no long-term difficulties? It's a lot of exposure to magic. "_

_"They will be fine, a year will be enough and, as I said, the flavor will not be affected. And if you are concerned that it might affect the opposite, we can try them first. "Tim looks at her doubtfully, but nods, they better than anyother. That should also serve to verify how much of the potion is correct without affecting the desserts and that they look normal, without extravagant colors, because only the macaroon could go unnoticed._

_"I'll trust you…"_

_"When did I fail you?" Marinette smiles and Tim duplicates his smile, recalling moments of battles against Akuma (and Amok). They resulted in a good strategic team, in the end, it was a plan that they designed that led to the fall of Gabriel Agreste, since then Adrien swore an oath to always be on their good side with which the others agreed._

_After all, it's not just anything to manipulate half of Paris to make their plans unfold and they just had to get things going. The team thought it was scary, for them it was fun._

Marinette Drake, as guardian of the Miraculous (including the boxes found in the temple), can feel more strongly when something is about to shake up her family (which has spread to Richard and Damian, of course), which It's a problem when she doesn't know who it's for, only this time she's sure it's with them, she can feel it as a constant tingling sensation in her back. The problem is that there is something twisted in the sensation, not as if it were problematic, but dangerous.

"Something happens?"Tim asks after closing the cafeteria for the day, has seen her stop with a worried expression, they are about to collect desserts and food that were not sold to deliver to some people who always carry provisions to homeless children and the elderly, of course, he unearthed everything about those people before considering asking them, when finding them clean, they began working with them.

"Something is coming..." She murmurs when he reaches out to take her by the hands, he has never liked it when she seems so suddenly worried, as if she had to suffer twice as much from events, of course, it's not always bad, but, anyway, he doesn't like it. "I don't know how bad it will be, but... it feels bad."

Tim hugs her in response.

Cole just watches them from his place on a table. For him, his parents sometimes speak in code, they don't say things completely, he doesn't understand them, but he takes it as the result of years of knowing and living together, he has seen them cook and they always seem to know where they are located even without seeing each other, they exchange utensils without speaking and help each other without the other asking. His grandparents also work like this and he wonders if he will knows someone who understand him at that level.

Cole likes his family, also his father's family, even if they are not the best, even if they have hurt their father in any way. Adults hurt each other because they don't speak. They didn’t tell him, his father always tried to tell him the best of them, but he understood that there was something wrong. Why didn't they visit them? Why did I just tell him about them? Are they gone? They are still alive, his father said, but they are not on the best terms. He felt the sadness of his father, Nooroo always said that it’s because he was born very connected to the Miraculous and, above all, he's a soul related to Duusu, who, sadly, continues to recover after what happened.

His thoughts are interrupted when the door is flung open, completely knocked down. His parents made the doors sturdy, so that fact makes him nervous, what's going on?

"Tim! What the hell are you doing here after you get away ten years ago?!"

Tim pales completely when he sees Red Hood at the entrance, at least he's alone, though he can see Robin and Black Bat behind him looking totally shocked by their actions. They clearly tried to stop him, without success.

"Answer back!"

Marinette now understands why it was so bad, she had felt traces of magic in Damian, but Red Hood seems possessed by it.

She moves away from Tim to get closer to her son, unlike her husband, Cole needs to be protected. Lazarus' insanity seems to be affecting his psyche right now, didn't Tim say he had been improving his control ten years ago?

"Red Hood" Tim growls, letting go of his initial shock. "Robin, Black Bat, what do you think they do here?" Hee looks at his brothers, Damian has the decency to look guilty.

"Don't play smart with me." Jason walks over to him and takes him by the shirt. "Why did you come back?"

"We have business in the city." Tim frowns, not the smartest thing he can think, being violent to Jason could backfire, he still remembers the times he tried to kill him, but he's not going to submit to unwarranted anger.

He has no right to claim him, Jason was never a good brother to him. They had their good times, yes, but the bad times weigh much more.

"Matters? Of course you do, you see everything from a damn magnifying glass, always logical, always distant. ”He spits out almost with a grunt, Cole frowns from his post, that doesn't sound like his father at all. Is he one of his uncles? He doesn't like it, he doesn't want him around. "Do you even have feelings?! You're a damn robot, you claimed me for making the family suffer! And you do the same! Do you look in the mirror, Timothy? I think your reflection is more disgusting than mine. "

"Hood!" Damian steps forward before Jason destroys any chance they have for Tim to reunite with the rest of the family. Putting aside his initial shock, he's not going to allow it to continue. "Enough, let go."

"You're not my boss, brat."

"You are being affected by anger, let it go."

"See if I will listen to you."

Tim doesn't move, anything could end in a confrontation. This is the anger he was expecting and it is no surprise that Jason is the one expressing it, he's smart, yes, but he will always be the first to lash out (especially if it was Batman).

"You are equal to B, you’re both horrible."

"You are horrible!" Cole yells from behind Marinette, who is ready for anything. She doesn't like the situation, she feels it will end in a fight.

Cassandra has moved to be near them, ready to cover ground if they must subdue Jason before Bruce finds out what's going on.

"Where did that little flea come from?"

"Hood, drop it."

"Release."

"Go away, Jason." Tim speaks, annoyed and wanting to bring Red Hood's attention back to him, to take his eyes off his son and wife. Jason can hit him if he wants to, he can insult him and do whatever he wants, but not his family.

He didn't get into that family like he did with the Wayne, he formed a relationship with Marinette and little by little they were fitting in, he... they worked that relationship and married, they found a balance even if they fought (because they both have their own ways of handling things and when they collide, they collide hard), they decided when to have children and have been raising Cole the best they can. It's his family.

"I will not leave."

"It's my premises and unless we are making something illegal, Sir Vigilante, you are attacking us for no reason. So go away, I won't repeat it again. Your anger towards me is unjustified, that you call me a hypocrite for choosing to move away from a family that annulled my existence... You have no right, even with all your problems, you were always a constant, everyone in the family knew of your presence... You ignored and excluded me, and being busy was no excuse! Eating with you became the same as eating in the Wayne Enterprise cafeteria, surrounded by strangers. "Tim releases himself and pushes Jason, his strength increased after years exposed to Orikko, along with other small side effects (such as feeling a high energy rush at dawn, so even if he decided to sleep late, he would wake up early.)

"You heard, Hood."

"And will you accept it?!"

"Yes, we leave. We're sorry for the intrusion, Drake. We should have tied him to the top of Wayne Tower as soon as we saw the direction he was taking. ”Damian pulls Jason away, he can still see that he's resisting, and can notice that if he were not shocked by Tim's sudden poisonous hiss, he would not be able to move him. Seeing Cole must have subdued him, Jason would never do anything that would put a child in danger, even if he wasn't kind.

"Brother." Cassandra relaxes and approaches Tim to hug him, being the only interaction allowed towards him.

Although the sense of relief that anyone could have felt is cut off when another figure appears at the entrance.

"What is hapening here?"

Batman has arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I took a while with this chapter and I admit that when editing it I corrected it a little, there were unnecessary things, so it turned out like this.
> 
> Batman is here! What do you think?


	12. Chapter 12

Bruce Wayne has a list of regrets as great as his accomplishments, there are so many shadows in his soul that the light seems extinct, but he's stubborn and keeps going, because those regrets are what drive him... until something is strong enough to bring him down. So many years ago it was Jason's death and now Tim's departure.

Timothy, the little boy who came one day and demanded to become a Robin because: Batman needs a Robin. The little boy who pushed his way through the family to make sense of it. For once, it wasn't him saving a boy like Dick and Jason, no, this time it was a lanky little boy who saved him. It saved him from being consumed by himself.

Timothy Jackson Drake was an invisible, resistant force that, without anyone noticing, turned the Wayne family into a functional machine, through fights, through difficulties. Tim was always supporting each of them in his own way.

Sometimes, by Tim's very nature, it was easy to take it for granted. He didn't like to stand out, unless he needed to stand out, otherwise he was better in the shadows of projects. Yes, his enemies knew his name, his enemies always kept him in high esteem, a respect full of hatred, the desire to bring him down... it was a shock to realize that his enemies valued Tim, Red Robin, more than they did. Even Ra’s Al Ghul complained to him about allowing a diamond of that caliber to disappear.

It was hard to understand that Tim left, the night they realized his absence was the same night the family fractured again. Dick left, but Bruce did too.

_"Alfred, do you know where Tim is?" That innocent question was the catalyst for chaos, they had already faced Tim's absence, of course, when he sacrificed himself to save Gotham and ended up being kidnapped by Mr. Oz, but... Tim would never leave them at will, right?_

_"No, Master Richard, Master Tim left the mansion a month ago." Is all of Alfred's reply before leaving, followed by Cassandra, who maintains a gray expression in response to the dejected expression of the butler, who rarely leaves see his emotions, but between the loss and how foreign they all were, he cannot be there and witness how everything gets complicated, he knows that the family will not be the same... not only because of Tim's departure but because of the time they took realize._

_Richard stands still for a moment and then pulls out his phone, Tim moved out and didn't tell anyone, not even Alfred, he clearly doesn't know and his expression of loss has made him feel uncomfortable in his chest. Tim's still in Gotham, right?_

_He dials the number, but the line was disconnected. Dejected, he runs to the cave to use the computer to find his brother._

_An hour passes and nothing, the properties in Tim's name have been sold for three months. Three months?! Wayne Enterprise returned to Bruce two months ago. Tim's last trace was a month ago with the purchase of a plane ticket to Shanghai, but looking for more, there is nothing, Tim Drake disappeared._

_He leans back against the chair and feels the tears itch, he doesn't even have the will to get up and drop the bomb on the family. Timmy left._

**_Everything, Dick. That image of you doing your somersault... stayed with me for years._ **

**_~~Timmy… sorry.~~ _ **

_"Grayson?"_

_At that time everyone is already going down to start the patrol. Damian and Bruce have already come down, even Jason is there... Cassandra and Alfred are not there yet, neither is Stephanie on either side or Barbara for that matter._

_"He's gone..._

_"Who?" Bruce questions, concerned to see his oldest son on the verge of tears, so heartbroken._

_"Tim... He left, no sign of him for a month... disappeared."_

_Bruce is silent, reviewing in his mind the last time he saw him and regretfully admits to himself that the last time was a family dinner more than a month ago, he thought that he would continue working, he even considered looking for him to ask him not to he became so obsessed with work... but he wasn't there and none of them realized that._

_"Have yo...?"_

_"THERE IS NOTHING, BRUCE! NOTHING! Tim left... I should have noticed, I should have seen the changes... am I such a bad brother?"_

_"Tt. He'll come back any time"_

_"He left everything, WE is back in Bruce's name, Drake's shares were sold, as were the properties, Red Robin's suit is locked, and his the cave records like of the Titans were removed. Tim won't be back. ”Dick stands up, wants to be able to blame someone, but can only see himself as such, he must have paid attention to him._

_Bruce is not in better condition._

_"The patrol is canceled."_

_"What?! "Damian exclaims angrily against his father._

_"I'll bring Tim back."_

He was unable to bring him back. He searched for it, even went so far to travel trying to find him, but after two years, he realized that he couldn't travel the whole world, not if Tim didn't want to be found.

Then the years passed and he could only imagine the life of his son, wondering if he will be fine, if he eats properly, if he has met people, if he's happy... Jason once tried to cover the Red Robin suit, but he did not he allowed it, it's the only thing that has remained.

And now, ten years later, her children begin to act strange: they have a secret. First it was Cassandra, then Dick coming to visit after ten months of absence… Even Damian arriving with a dessert box that he jealously kept for himself (he only shared with Alfred and almost stabbed Jason's hand when he tried to take one).

And now that he has seen his kids run after Red Hood as if life were running out for them, he can't help but feel that something has happened. Their behavior can no longer be ignored, so he decide to follow them.

He lost track of them for a moment, it almost seemed like they were gone, but he heard the commotion, it's rare that in the commercial district a similar commotion was heard so late, most do not stop to return to their homes, so it was easy to find them. Especially when he hears his children arguing... and a voice he hasn't heard in ten years.

He almost felt his heart squeeze, is it really him?

When he goes down to the entrance the first thing he notices is Damian dragging Jason away from Cassandra and another person, who he doesn't recognize from the hug. He can also see a woman and a child, who is upset to Red Hood.

"What is hapening here?"

All eyes are on him, Damian is mortified and within seconds he starts insulting Jason for causing this. Cassandra is also affected, but his focus is on one person.

Tim, much older, much healthier, is there. He's only a few steps away, and it's then that he really notices the other two people, the boy reminds him of little Tim who first arrived at the mansion.

Tim has a family.

_I'm living in **your** world, Bruce. When can I live in **mine**?_

Tim now lives in his world, is there some chance that he will be allowed to live in it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to bring this chapter in yet, but I read a fic with a similar premise and needed updating, so I started editing the chapter and hope it's as good as I think it is...
> 
> So what did you think? What do you think will happen from here?
> 
> I love reading your comments! They brighten my day, they make me laugh and sometimes they give me another perspective when it comes to editing. Thanks!


	13. Chapter 13

Tim never imagined this would happen, he trusted Damian too much, without Dick in Gotham it was obvious that something was going to go disastrously wrong. The oldest son is the only one who has always been able to keep everyone online, almost miraculously. He knows everyone so well that he knows where to push to push them back, although it doesn't always go well.

Neither thought of the Jason factor, why were they so dumb? Jason is like a storm, never know how he will really affect until the damage is done.

Tim wasn't ready to see Batman, not yet.

"We are leaving."

Oh, just that? Is his presence so unimportant? A part of himself that he always yearns for Bruce to be a real father to, not just his mentor, squirms in disappointment.

"You're...!" Damian is indignant, he knew that Bruce could act in the wrong way, but he didn't expect absolute indifference.

"We are going."

He waits for no response from anyone and retires, even Jason stopped fighting for surprise. Everyone reacted in some way, Batman just decided to be as distant as ever... even with his son that he has not seen in ten years and after spending all that time with much sadness. No one understands it.

Batman did it again.

"Drake..."

"Just go away, I'll send you a message tomorrow." Tim turns exclusively to Damian, who nods, dragging Jason back, Cassandra has already retired.

"We'll pay for the door." Damian says before leaving.

Marinette gets up and approaches Tim, hugging him in comfort.

"I don't know why I expected something different... At least, I checked what I already knew."

"You have us and we'll only be here for a year."

"Yeah… next year we must choose a school for Cole and look for a fixed place, what do you think of returning to Munich? Germany has a good educational system and we already have a branch in the city. ”She smiles and pulls him to kiss him on the cheek. Okay, at least, she thinks, he has faced his past, even if it's not how she expected it to be.

"Dad!" Cole waited patiently for them to have a little conversation, but wants to hug him. "The door… ”He mutters as Tim picks him up, burying his head in his father's chest.

"I'll fix it." Marinette frees her child, giving a small caress to his black hair before heading toward the entrance.

Tim walks away to start up to the apartment, Cole has started to sob, giving in to the overwhelming feeling of his father's feelings and everyone else, he doesn't like his father feeling sad or hurting.

Why do adults like to complicate their lives? Do they enjoy the pain?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there are only two chapters left. This one is short, yes, but it's offset by the next one. I divided these chapters according to certain scenarios and what I wanted to achieve with them.
> 
> What did you think?


	14. Chapter 14

Damian is upset, he didn't even glance at his father when they returned to the cave, instead he went straight up to his room. Alfred will scold Bruce, he knows it will be so, but only one man can do nothing to change the mindset of a man as stubborn as Bruce Wayne.

As soon as he's in his room, he picks up the phone and makes an important call. There is only one person capable of facing Bruce and that is Richard Grayson, the favorite son, the eldest son and the person who helped make him who he's today (if it were only his father's work, he would be making more mistakes than now, about all with his brothers).

"Grayson, father ruined everything with Drake."

_"What?!! I've only been gone a few days! What happened?"_

"Todd found out about Drake and confronted him just after the patrol started." He listens to Grayson's strangled gasp and for a moment there is silence, until he hears movement again and the sound of things being knocked down.

_"I'll be there early tomorrow, I can't believe it. What did B do?"_

"He ignored him, had it right in front of him and passed his presence."

" _Damn it, B! He had a job, a job... If Timmy doesn't want to see us again because of him, I'll be mad, I can't believe it, why can't he be a normal human being? As I hate when he acting as if both identities were different people._ "Damian is silent as he listens to his brother rant while in the background you hear movement, he sits down at the desk and opens his laptop, has that to write an essay.

Drake is not his favorite brother, but his father outdid himself. Not even he, who has no real regard for others, would do something like that, not with the family, at least, and not unless they had earned it.

"I will notify Alfred of your arrival."

_"Babybird, I'm proud of you."_

"What's that, Grayson?" He hears him laugh, though he can still feel the anger in his voice.

_"Someone must tell you.You're worrying about Timmy in your own way, but you do. I know you think it was your fault that he left..."_

"It's not true.

_"We all went, Damian, we all helped Timmy think he was no longer part of the family. He always had that insecurity, he even prevented B from adopting him for a while because he thought he would do it out of pity after he lost his father and not because he wanted him in the family. He must have felt very displaced with your arrival and when we took Robin from him, but that was my fault and Bruce's, we assumed he would understand..."_

"Why are you telling me that?"

_"The only thing you are guilty of is the five assassination attempts, the rest we do. This you do, getting mad at Bruce, is because you learned to recognize the importance of family… although it seems we need to drill B's head to remind him of it. "_

"I get it. See you tomorrow, Grayson."

_"Sleep well!"_

He end the call there and put the phone aside to start typing. He usually doesn't leave work until later, but Drake's return greatly altered everyone who knew of his arrival.

Meanwhile, Tim faces a video call with all of his friends. Something normal when one of them faces a sad or stressful situation, such as when Adrien was about to deliver his letter of resignation to the university because he had five groups with which he joined almost two hundred students and the qualification of exams became a hell. Also when Chloe lost a very difficult case and her client (who was innocent) was sentenced to ten years in prison for something he didn't do. So there are many examples, some more complicated than others, there was even a time when they had to call because Max was on the verge of hysteria due to a lost book (he had just bought).

Leaning in this way, leaving aside whatever they are doing to give a little comfort to a friend who needs it, is something that characterizes their group, especially when an ocean divides them.

Kagami and Adrien continue to live in Paris, being she who keeps the two companies afloat while Adrien decided to become a university professor, he has two subjects that he teaches every year: _Fluid Physics and Quantum Mechanics_ , although sometimes she also teaches _Nuclear and Particle Physics_ ; he is also highly competent in research, occasionally joining university-initiated projects in relation to astronomy and chemistry. They have managed to always be attentive to their daughter and, now, also to their new son.

Luka founded a music school, in addition to being a composer and working together with various labels, Chloe became a lawyer and is very good at what she does. They moved to London, after Chloe started working with the prosecution and they decided to stay there.

Max, Alix and Kim moved to Seoul, where Max started working with Samsumg since he graduated, but recently he has started his small business independently. Kim followed his swimming career, so his schedule is usually busy with workouts and he should always clear his schedule by planning months in advance, unless they are makeshift calls, Alix works in a modern art gallery where, every so often time, exhibits his own works.

Felix continues to live in London, directing Graham Films. He's the one who least needs impromptu calls, but is always present and giving poisonous comments about what has caused the problem. He's also a very good actor, playing roles that are so different from himself and doing them wonderfully, the first time they saw him, they interrogated him to verify that it was him and he had not bribed Adrien for it. It was a surprise.

Nathaniel and Marc live in New York, being the closest to them today. They run their own comic book editorial, they're the ones who talk the most, Nathaniel has a very comical tendency to loop around for the most random things they could think of, from pencils that lost quality to her hair that doesn't sit still within its moorings.

Tonight it was Tim's turn, but mostly for Cole, to see his uncles. Tim is used to the disaster that is his family and, although a part was still disappointed, his most logical side knew that this would be the result.

 _"So he did what we all already knew."_ Chloe says carelessly, her face covered in a mask as she polishes her nails. Luka by her side.

" _From what we know of Mr. Wayne, it's his way of dealing with what overwhelms him, right?_ " Luka tries to prevent everyone from starting to talk outraged, not that what Tim needs right now.

 _"Uh, uh. He can't be worse than my father…_ ”Adrien comments, remembering that the minimum standard is named Gabriel Agreste, everyone mutters in agreement, making comments at the same time about how horrible it is and how great it is that he is in prison, in addition to other comments that they get lost in the combination of voices.

" _You don't need them anyway_." Alix comments above all, drawing her attention. " _You are already adults, you already have your own children. And if you want loving parents, I suggest you put kicked puppy eyes on Tom Dupain and he'll adopt them right away._ ”She laughs, remembering when Marinette's parents basically appropriated Adrien and almost got it with Tim.

Tim just sees them laugh and start talking about it, a small smile forms at the interaction. Marinette has just got up to go for some tea, Cole is already dozing in his arms, but he makes the effort to stay awake to continue seeing his uncles.

" _Cole seems to be sleepy_." Nathaniel comments, until now he had only spoken, but he kept his eyes fixed on his sketchbooks, they know it because Marc moved the camera in a moment so they could see what they have been working on.

"It is close to his bedtime."

"It's not true..." The boy's reply is drowned by a yawn. At that, Tim fits him better in his arms and Cole begins to close his eyes, feeling comfortable to let himself be carried away by the dream.

"I'll put him to bed, I'll be back."

He walks away, but he can hear how everyone starts talking again. Marinette approaches with two cups of tea, leaving them on the coffee table before following him into the child's room.

She watches him arrange him on the bed, they had put his pajamas on in advance knowing that he would fall asleep. He was exhausted, but he wanted to be able to talk to his uncles, see them for a while, a sense of security.

_This is his family._

When Tim gets up to leave the room he's received by the arms of his wife, who draws him to her to give him a soft kiss on the lips, overflowing with tenderness, she caresses his cheekbones with sweetness.

"How you feel?"

"After talking to everyone, better. You're my home, Marinette, I wouldn't want it any other way. ”He smiles at her and this time it's him who kisses her.

"Neither do I."

"I'm going to call Alfred, I'm going to face Bruce and get it all done right. If I let him dictate the rhythm, we will stagnate and solve nothing..."

"Should I prepare?"

"Just kill them with kindness like your old friends." Marinette laughs, it may not have been her best years, but definitely that last year of high school was satisfying, she not only met Tim but she also had a divine retribution for her patience and kindness, all in the form of karma for Lila.

"Then don't complain if I leave corpses covered in glitter where I pass."

"As long as it doesn't stick to my clothes, it doesn't matter."

Both smile, accomplices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here it's. The next is the last chapter, for that reason I already published another fic. I hope you also like it, if you get to read it.
> 
> I loved writing this story, taking this different approach I thought would be counterproductive, but I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for your comments.
> 
> So what do you think?

**Author's Note:**

> Any comment is welcomed


End file.
